“Silvery Moon” (2016)
by Barbara Kacicek (1957-)
10 × 10 in., oil on linen
Coppola Collection

Part of an ongoing series from Barbara, commemorating the differently labeled moons that exist.

The reflected light of the moon glows with the same luminance as the metal silver, and in the ancient world, there were no coincidences. So, silver and the moon have been linked for a long time. The alchemical symbol for silver is a crescent moon, and the moon, and silver, were associated with the brain.

In the Middle Ages, one might describe a lunatic as a person who is acting under the influence of luna, the Latin word for “moon.” The notion that the moon causes certain kinds of madness or evokes dangerous aspects of our personalities has been around for millennia; Aristotle suggested that the moon could cause insanity by manipulating fluids in the brain, much in the same way it commands the tides.

The symbolic moon facts can be found in alchemical teachings wherein the moon is a facet of silver. In the ever-parabolic perspective of the practicing alchemist, we know silver is symbolic of clarity, purity, and brilliance.

“By The Light of the Silvery Moon” or “By the Light of the Silv’ry Moon” is a popular song. The music was written by Gus Edwards, and the lyrics by Edward Madden. The song was published in 1909 and first performed on stage by Lillian Lorraine.